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Striving
Strive to excel in building up the church 1 Corinthians 14:12b
In an extended teaching on the right use of the spiritual gifts in the gathered church, Paul, having established that love is the motivation to use the gifts in chapter 13, now gives flesh to the bones of love and says that we are to strive for something. Our love for Christ and his body leads us outward towards the church and we are called to ‘strive to excel in building up the church’. We are to use our gifts and our energies to build up the body of Christ which he bought with his own blood (Acts 20:28). What are you striving for these days? Career? Comfort?
A career is where we fulfill a large part of our calling in this world to serve. But it is not our entire calling. It is not our identity. We are part of a lasting city. We are part of the church that Christ spilled his blood for. When we strive to excel in building up the church, we are striving for something that Christ strives for and something that will last. Work hard at your job, but set limits. You are a finite creature and have limited capacity to strive. Save much strength for the body of Christ—to build it up.
Comfort can be good. We all need rest. But it can also be the thing that saps us of energy to serve in the kingdom. Many of us probably need to set aside our own comforts and strive for something greater. I know I do.
Let’s strive for what Christ strives for—his church—the current members and those he has yet to save.
-Braden